Mitt Romney vs the World

Lord help us, the next President of the United States might just be an idiot. Not the kind of bumbling idiot like Hugh Grant or Mr Bean, which is the type that we enjoy. The next President could be a genuine, gurgling idiot who cannot visit a country without angering every single person in it. I am talking about Mitt Romney, who is currently travelling the globe in an attempt to spread bad-feeling.

Romney began in Britain, after making comments to NBC that the problems leading up to London 2012 were “disconcerning” and questioning whether we could “come together and celebrate the moment.” Cue a media stoning, labelling him as “Mitt the Twit” after our opening ceremony was hailed as one of the best of all-time and the atmosphere at the Games reached fever-pitch.

Next, the Twit went to Israel, where he announced to the world that Jerusalem was the capital of Israel – unaware of their conflict with Palestine. Romney also cited “cultural” differences as the reason for Israel’s greater economic successes when compared to Palestine. So far, so bad for Romney but surely he was done, right?

Wrong. Romney is set to bring back that old American pastime of Russian bashing, during a speech to the Warsaw University in Poland. Mitt has previously said Russia is America’s “No 1 geopolitical foe” and he seems ready to fan the flames of conflict and encourage Vladimir Putin to bring it.

The trip has been branded a “Romneyshambles” but it is far from that. The Twit certainly angered a lot of people but for him, it was a resounding success. The important thing for Romney is the money he raised on the way. The event in Israel, for example, was a $25,000-a-head fundraiser with guests such as the owner of the New York Jets, Woody Johnson and Sheldon Adelson, a casino magnate. There was a similar event in London too, where tickets cost between $50,000 and $75,000 and featured a number of executives from everyone’s favourite bank of the moment, Barclays, who have donated more than $1 million to Romney’s campaign.

Such is the nature of politics, that a trip so disastrous can actually benefit a candidate. In what is being called the most expensive presidential campaign of all-time, the battle for money between Romney and Obama is becoming a global operation. And in a race where the polls are so tight, it will be advertising and campaigning that will win the White House.

However this trip has shown me that Mitt Romney is not ready for the presidency. If the leader of the free world cannot travel it without offending everyone he comes across, how could he possibly represent the U.S. on the national stage? When foreign media describe him as “rude” or “graceless” perhaps he has a lot of work to do. Before people say that I am biased, yes, I am. I pray that Obama keeps the presidency because I believe he is one of the best presidents in modern history. Yes, it is a bit unfair to criticise Romney for one bad trip. But when you come to Britain as a Presidential candidate, a country that you have previously praised for the special relationship it shares with your homestead, it is not a great sign when you leave looking ridiculous.

As the days go by, the prospect of President Romney is looking more and more realistic. Obama is being punished for a sluggish economy and gloomy unemployment figures. All Romney has to do is keep his mouth shut and come November, he could ride the wave of recession all the way to the White House. After that though is anyone’s guess. He will have control of the big red button and I do not know who I would trust more: Mr Bean or the Twit.